Give me your Friday evening

          "Ashley?" He questioned, brows slightly knitted together with confusion as he stared down at his mother seated on a chaise lounge. "Why would she launch her business in New York when she doesn't live here?"

"What do you think?" Delia returned, glancing back at Jayden who adamantly refused to sit. "Don't you think it's a good opportunity for you two to meet again and keep in touch?" She continued without waiting for him to answer, knowing he wouldn't care to give an opinion. "And then maybe you two can discuss getting married--"

"I will decide when and whom to marry." He cut her off with the sharpest tone he could muster while still keeping any anger from his voice. It had been a long time since he'd heard that phrase used against him because of the coma. Now that he was finally getting himself back, he couldn't believe his mother wouldn't hesitate to throw out all those same old arguments.

"You..." Delia's voice went silent and didn't respond right away, staring into space as if she were deep in thought or just considering how best to argue against what he said. Finally, she seemed to come to some sort of decision and looked back at her son with determination. "...have no say in this. Your father decides to have you two together for the progress of the company." She paused before continuing in a more reasonable tone, "It has always been your father's dream for you to run things when he is no longer capable of being the chairman. I'm sure you've seen enough of Ashley by now that you'll know better than anyone how much your father loves her."

The mention of his father created a silent effect on him that lasted until his eyes landed on the portrait above the fireplace that had been hanging there since before his birth. His gaze remained focused on the painting of his father standing beside the ocean with one arm extended toward the viewer. His face was hard, wearing his signature stern face. It was just a picture but Jayden could feel terrified by countless memories of being maltreated by the man all in the name of being molded into a perfect heir for the enterprise. The last thing he wanted was for his father to return home to force another round of negotiations on him like this. And he certainly wasn't interested in becoming anything like him but that wish was deeply buried beneath years of fear.

Delia quietly watched her son stare into the fire for several minutes, aware of his internal conflict. "Well," she began again and rose to her feet, bringing her hand to rest gently on his shoulder.

He slowly brought his eyes back to hers, his expression remaining blank but for the brief flash of annoyance he felt whenever he found himself dealing with his mother. She stood tall and imposing in front of him, her hair swept up and framing her regal features with elegance. Her skin appears tanned and her body, toned and healthy.

"You must attend the party, you will be representing your father's seat as the CEO." Her voice took on the commanding edge of her personality as she leaned forward slightly and lifted her eyes higher to catch his. "There are going to be important guests present, including people from both our families. We cannot afford to look bad in front of them, especially after all these years."

Jayden remained unmoved by her argument, knowing very well how important the meeting with the board members was to the company. "I will only be attending for the sake of business. Whatever you are thinking is not going to happen." He warned in a low growl, refusing to take the bait.

Delia simply nodded her head with a small smile. Turning, she headed towards the hallway where the elevator awaited. She glanced over her shoulder briefly, seeing him still standing by the fireplace and looking straight ahead. "We'll see how long you last." With that, she turned and headed up the compartment, her silky red dress fluttering behind her as she went.

The moment the doors closed, Jayden reached for the nearest object and slammed it into the wall. His chest rose and fell quickly as he looked around the room, searching for something else to break apart. After finding nothing useful within the walls, he walked to the window and opened it wide, letting the cool air fill the space between the panes. Then he let out a loud exhale and dropped his forehead onto the windowsill. His mind was lost in thought when footsteps sounded on the carpeted floor behind him and stopped within a close space.

"Good morning, Mr. Stanley." A feminine voice gently reached his ears as the warm scent of vanilla filled the air.

His head shot up, immediately recognizing the intruder even before he saw her face.

He turned around as he prepared a glare. There was a soft smile on her lips, almost apologetic, as she approached him with hands clasped in front of her stomach. Her deep blue eyes reached him with warmth and he could only wonder what exactly she found gratifying about the morning. Maybe being a pest to his life made hers worth living.

The doctor maintained her beam notwithstanding his obvious displeasure. Her hair was pulled up to a usual ponytail and held together by a pair of thin silver clips. It hung down past her shoulders and shone softly in the light. Her outfit today consisted of an ivory button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to the elbows. She wore black trousers with gold trim and matching heels. Her neck was adorned with the same necklace he'd seen her wear the day before and her bag rested against her side, ready to be picked up and put away at any time.

She stood patiently before him with a slight smile and he noticed she hadn't moved closer yet. Instead, she kept a respectful distance from him, giving him space to do whatever he wished without interruption.

"How was your night?" Maria enquired professionally, trying to keep her smile in place. "I hope you had a good night's rest and took your evening dosage."

Jayden decided to ignore her, turning his attention back to the window and gazing outside at the fountain and greenery below. His mind drifted to the conversation he had with his mother. He didn't agree to attend the gathering, but he knew his opinion was weak compared to his parents.

"The gardens sure are really lovely this time of year," Maria continued to try to engage him, ignoring the coldness emanating from his body. She was standing before the window next to his and glancing down at what seemed to capture her patient's attention more than her presence.

Jayden heard every word but refused to respond to her questions or her efforts to start a conversation. Ashley was filling his mind more than necessary. He needed a plan to eliminate the two families' motive of getting them married. An idea came to mind as he stared at the fountain, a solution he couldn't believe he hadn't come up with earlier and the solution was standing right beside him.

His face moved slowly to study the doctor from the corner of his eyes. She was perfect for his plan. There was only one thing that intimidated Ashley; another woman whose looks were as appealing as herself. And if there was anyone that fit that description, it would be Maria.

Her eyes darted to the silence his face held. His gaze was heavily on hers and she couldn't help but wonder why he was staring at her so intently.

Jayden disjointed the strings connecting their eyes and took his focus back to the window. He found the garden once more and the fountain bubbled pleasantly, sending its spray into the air as it danced across the pond and splashed onto the water lilies. "You asked me how my night was?" His voice came, without taking his glance off the ground. "It was terrible and occupied with horrific nightmares." The words flowed smoothly and without pause, leaving little room for the other person to reply. "But I was quick to figure out the cause of it. Not migraine or sicknesses related."

He paused for effect, making sure she understood his statement. He felt her breath catch in her throat and watched as her expression shifted to a concerned look.

She waited silently for him to continue. He didn't need her approval or understanding. He just wanted to see the fear return to her face and watch her fall under his spell.

He folded his arms, turning to give her worried eyes full access to his unreadable face. "I had a bad night because you slept on my bed yesterday."

"What?" Maria tried to speak but Jayden cut her short with his raised hand.

"And you must pay for your sins." He declared with a tone that left no room for debate as his brown eyes locked piercingly onto hers like a hawk watching its prey.

The doctor looked confused. She opened her mouth but nothing came out, except a few muffled squeaks when she attempted to speak. A lot of questions flooded her brain, distracting her and making her incapable of responding coherently to anything he said. Apart from the mystery of how she had woken up on the bed despite falling asleep on a couch, she wanted to know if he was mentally sound and how much sleep he got last night. He sounded crazy, a particular mental disorder derived from sleep deprivation.

Maria exhaled gently, deciding to not waver from her calm deposition, which made him think she wouldn't go easily into his game. If she wasn't going to play along, he would find another way. She could see he had a goal in mind. But he wouldn't achieve it with threats. "What are you talking about, Mr. Stanley? Should I look into your sleep--"

"The only thing you will be looking into is paying for your sins with a task I shall assign to you." He cut her off again, his deep voice resonating through the silent house, shaking her confidence in being able to reason with him, but also in her belief that he might actually have some form of insanity.

Maria blinked consistently as she listened, feeling increasingly uncomfortable with each moment. He never stopped looking directly at her, holding her eyes captive as if he wanted to bore holes into her skull.

She was surprised by his boldness and wondered what kind of game he was playing. What kind of task was he asking her to perform? Why was he talking like a priest who was trying to save a lost soul and instead of speaking rationally, he kept giving her cryptic statements that made no sense? Her head spun with the thought that he could have been suffering from something worse than insomnia and migraine.

She cleared her throat, hoping he would stop his weird speech pattern, which was becoming more disturbing by the second. "I'm afraid I don't understand, Mr. Stanley. What do you mean by the task?" She asked anyway, curious to know where the conversation was heading to. He seemed very determined to make her perform an act she wasn't sure what is.

His stare intensified, making her squirm in discomfort. His deep earthly eyes gave her the creeps. They looked almost black and seemed to suck all the light away. It reminded her of those stories she used to read about monsters lurking beneath the earth, waiting to snatch children and eat them whole.

She gulped nervously, wondering if he really had lost his mind or whether this was just another part of his twisted game to terrify her into compliance.

He stared relentlessly until he finally spoke, forcing her to meet his eye. "A good deed."

Her brow furrowed in confusion. Good deeds usually meant helping others or doing something charitable, things that didn't involve her personally. "Mr. Stanley, please explain." Her patience had worn thin after a while and her voice had taken on a sharp edge, ready to bite back any further provocation.

Jayden ignored her and turned away, continuing to look outside as he considered his next words carefully. "What will you be doing on the coming Friday?" he eventually answered.

This question made Maria pause. He hadn't asked for anything so specific before, and certainly nothing involving personal action. Something was definitely strange here, and the idea of having to carry out some sort of 'good deed' made her feel uneasy.

"Fri-Friday? Well, I will be coming here to work as usual..." She hesitated, unsure why Jayden was asking these odd questions now.

"Is that all you will be doing?" Jayden questioned, raising an eyebrow and turning back towards her, studying her intently.

"I suppose, yes..." She replied slowly, trying to decide what he was getting at, but not quite understanding. "Why do you ask?"

Jayden folded his arms and rested his chin against his knuckles, looking down upon her. His eyes were hypnotic and they held her in their thrall. "Give me you Friday evening." The statement came with no warning, completely unexpected, in his same monotone voice.

It took Maria a moment to process his words. She couldn't believe she had heard correctly. She was greatly nonplussed, unable to grasp his intent, even though she was pretty certain that there was one. He seemed too focused and intense to simply be joking around. "Why-why would you want that?" she managed to say, her voice weak with confusion compared to his powerful delivery.

He leaned closer, staring deeply into her eyes, ignoring the flustered look on her face. "Because I am going to rent your evening." He said, as a matter of factly as ever. He straightened up again and looked at her seriously, waiting for her response.

She shook her head in bewilderment, but still tried to figure out what exactly was happening. "The--"

"You are going to be my girlfriend or escort, whatever they call it these days, for a party." He explained bluntly. He sounded so confident and sure of himself as if he knew what he was doing and expected her to follow his instructions without question.

Maria was utterly dumbfounded. This entire situation was beyond bizarre. She stood in silence, staring at him, wondering how he could be acting so calmly about such a ridiculous proposition.

After what felt like an eternity, she decided to try to talk him out of this nonsense. "This is absurd." She started, suppressing dazed laughter at the idea of pretending to be in a relationship with him in order to fool some folks for reasons she couldn't understand.

"Absurd?" Jayden echoed incredulously.

" Look, Mr. Stanley," She decided to discard his sick joke and face her purpose of coming to work that day. She didn't have time to waste on some insane request. "I am not sure if you're being serious or not but the situation is making me rather uncomfortable. I truly apologize if staying in your bed brought you nightmares and an apology is all I can offer. A trespassing mistake of such will never happen again, I promise." She continued speaking, keeping her tone polite but firm, wanting him to see her sincerity. She wanted him to understand that she wouldn't be intimidated into doing whatever he demanded.

Jayden's gaze remained fixed on hers, unblinking as if she were holding the world in place with only her unwavering eyes. "An apology is not what I am asking for."

"I beg your pardon?" She said, feeling slightly irritated at his arrogance. He appeared completely unaffected by her refusal.

"Neither your opinion. I am the victim here." Jayden continued to speak quietly, his voice low and steady as if every word were carved from stone.

Maria sighed, frustrated at herself for allowing this man to make her angry. She took a few moments to collect herself, composing her reply carefully, and then spoke calmly, hoping to avoid another confrontation. "I need to get to work, Mr. Stanley. This conversation is wasting my time and I wish to end it right now."

His eyes glinted dangerously as he regarded her silently for a few seconds. She felt trapped, unable to move or escape his stare. Eventually, he nodded and turned his face away. "Very well. I have no reason to be talking to you anymore then." He uttered, dismissively.

She frowned slightly at his words but kept mute until his spinning frame showed signs of departure. "Going somewhere, Mr. Stanley?" She quickly quizzed him to confirm his intention.

Jayden stopped moving and turned back to face her once more. "And that concerns you, how?" He asked flatly.

She squeezed her brows and tilted her head slightly, not believing his question even when he knew why she was present in his home.

"Well...we have an appointment, remember?" Her tone implied the question, yet left room for him to answer otherwise.

He stared hard at her, his dark brown eyes almost seeming to absorb her as if he were seeing her very soul.

"Get lost." He pronounced his favorite words in his monotonous way and resumed his tracks.

She stood frozen, unsure of whether she should stay where she was or follow after him. She watched as he passed through the doorway, and before long he disappeared from view. It seemed like she spent ages just watching the door close, with her brain trying to decide which course of action to take next. The door closed firmly behind him, and Maria found herself leaning on the wall for emotional support

***